1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention disclosed herein relate to the field of vehicle seat assemblies having a seat back that is pivotable with respect to the seat bottom and include a release and drive mechanism for unlocking the seat back to pivot with respect to the seat bottom and pivoting the seat back with respect to the seat bottom.
2. Background Art
Vehicle seat assemblies having a seat back that is pivotable with respects to an associated seat bottom are known. In some embodiments of such vehicle seat assemblies, it is possible to fold the seat back forward on top of the seat bottom to provide added room and/or additional floor surface for the storage of cargo.
Such vehicle seat assemblies typically include a locking mechanism which inhibit rotation of the seat back with respect to the seat bottom when locked and which permits rotation of the seat back with respect to the seat bottom when unlocked. In such vehicle seat assemblies, the locking mechanism must first be unlocked before the seat back may be folded forward over the seat bottom.
It is desirable to unlock the locking mechanism and control the pivot motion of the seat back using a single motor driven mechanism. Embodiments of the present invention address this and other problems.